Elite

Top lures at Lake St. Clair 2025

See the smallmouth baits that ruled the leaderboard at Lake St. Clair.

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Photography by
Dalton Tumblin
Photography by
Chase Sansom
West Virginia
Photography by
Shane Durrance
Photography by
Logan Crumley
Photography by
Andy Crawford
Captions by
Craig Lamb
Magic was made at the Yokohama Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair. The renowned smallmouth fishery showed out, and history was made by a 20-year-old angler from Carbondale, Ill. Photo: Craig Lamb
Trey McKinney not only led the tournament from wire-to-wire, but he also caught 96 pounds, 1 ounce for the win. It was the heaviest winning weight in Bassmaster history at Lake St. Clair and fifth heaviest catch for a B.A.S.S. smallmouth event. 
McKinney has two Elite titles in as many years, with another lofty goal coming into view, that being Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year. McKinney is tied for the lead with Canadian pro Chris Johnston heading into the final event. McKinney went into Championship Sunday worried his fish might run out. The third cast of the day erased any doubts as he caught a clutch smallmouth weighing 6-2. 
Click here to buy these lures at Bass Pro Shops.
Alex Redwine (10th; 80-15)
Redwine used a jerkbait, dice bait and tube jig. A top bait was this Strike King 3X Baby Z-Too Soft Jerkbait, rigged on 1/4-ounce Gamakatsu Horizon Head. 
For a finesse approach he used this OSP Saikoro Dice, rigged on 2/0 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Drop Shot Hook with 1/8-ounce nail weight. 
For a changeup Redwine used this Poor Boys Tube with 3/8-ounce weight. 
Paul Mueller (9th; 81-6)
Mueller kept it simple with a custom-made jig. 
He made it with a Do-It Molds Football jig featuring a Gamakatsu Jig 60 Round Bend Hook. He added a floating trailer for enhanced buoyancy and action. 
Tucker Smith (8th; 82-12)
Smith used a minnow setup to catch his offshore fish. 
His primary bait was this Yamamoto Scope Shad, rigged on 1/4- or 3/16-ounce Picasso Lures Tungsten Ball Head Jigs.
Cole Sands (7th; 84-6)
Sands used a topwater popper for calm conditions and then switched to a swimbait. He used a mayfly imitator in the presence of a hatch. 
He used this Yo-Zuri Pro Series Popper during a mayfly hatch. 
And alternatively, he chose a mayfly imitator rigged on 1/8-ounce Queen Tackle LS Tungsten Rollin Strollin Jig Had.
Sands also used a FishCo Radar Shad rigged with a FishCo Wingman inserted into the bait. The rig enhances natural rolling and strolling action. He rigged the bait on a 3/16-ounce Queen Tackle LS Tungsten Jig Head. 
Evan Kung (6th; 85-0)
Kung rotated through a selection of drop shots and a jighead minnow. 
A primary setup was this Great Lakes Finesse 2.75-inch Dropkick Shad, rigged on a No. 2 drop-shot hook with a 1/4-ounce weight. 
To give the smallmouth a different look he chose this new Great Lakes Finesse 2.25-inch Micro Series Drop Minnow, using the same hook and weight sizes. 
Alternatively, Kung used this Great Lakes Finesse 2.5-inch Juvy Craw rigged on 1/4-ounce jighead. 
Click here to buy these lures at Bass Pro Shops.
Brandon Palaniuk (5th; 86-14)
Palaniuk used a pair of drop-shot rigs to catch offshore smallmouth. 
He used this X Zone Lures Stealth Finesse Creature, rigged on 1/0 BKK Armor-Point Dropshot Hook with 3/8-ounce X Zone Tungsten Worm Weight. 
Alternatively, Palaniuk rigged up this X Zone Lures Whiplash Shad on 2/0 BKK Armor Point Dropshot — Long Shank, with 1/2-ounce X Zone Tungsten Worm Weight.  
Matt Robertson (4th; 87-2)
Robertson targeted offshore smallmouth with a minnow setup. 
He used this 3/8-ounce Berkley Fusion19 Hybrid Jighead with Berkley prototype minnow. 
Kyoya Fujita (3rd; 88-1)
Fujita used a bait currently only available in Japan that is ideal with slow-sinking presentations for pressured bass. 
The lure is this Jackall King Jimmy Henge.
Logan Parks (2nd; 90-6)
Parks alternated between a jerkbait for reaction bites and a drop shot for finesse tactics. 
He used this Berkley Stunna Jerkbait 112. He switched out the factory hooks with No. 7 Ryugi Pierce TC Trebles. 
Alternatively, Parks made a drop shot with this Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flatnose Minnow, rigged on 2/0 hook with 3/8-ounce drop-shot weight. 
Trey McKinney (1st; 96-1)
McKinney targeted patches of mixed short sand grass and taller vegetation in 15 to 18 feet of water. He set up on a 100-yard stretch for his half-mile drifts across the prime strike zone. 
In practice, he used a 6th Sense Saltwater Shindo Shad 6.0 on 3/16-ounce jig head. As angling pressure increased, he needed to adjust his bait selection, switching to a dice bait for a more subtle strike appealing presentation. 
His bait or choice was this 6th Sense prototype dice bait with 1/32-ounce nail weight on No. 4 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Hook. 

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